PANCHTHAR, June 15: In Yangwarak Rural Municipality, which lies in the northern part of Panchthar district, there is an old small building. 'Border Administration Office' is written on a signboard nearby the building but the letters are almost rubbed out. The Nepali national flag there is also worn out.
This border administration does not carry out any function. An assistant opens the office's door in the morning and closes it in the evening. That is the daily activity of the office.
Although the office is responsible for border patrolling and providing passes, it has not performed those functions for years. Office Assistant Laxmi Prasad Khawas is the only employee the office has. A few years ago, an officer was sent there. However, he was transferred soon and the position has been vacant ever since.
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Due to this, the condition of Nepal-India border is very weak. Border pillars are continually disappearing mysteriously. Thefts have also increased in the settlements nearby the border. The presence of Nepali security personnel is also very minimum, further weakening the Nepali side of the border.
Due to dysfunctional border administration office, the local police post has been issuing border passes to Sikkim. On the other hand, India has deployed Sikkim Police and Seema Surakshya Bal on their side of the border.
“Only an assistant has been looking after the office for a long time,” said Yangwarak ward-1 chairman Mohan Dhungel. “The office doesn't do anything due to the lack of resources.”
Due to weak presence of Nepali authorities along the border, India has been encroaching upon the Nepali side of the border. During a recent tour of the area, Nepal Police had found 16 border pillars missing. The Indian side also has allegedly constructed structures on the no-man's-land in the area.
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